Curving and other non-planar surfaces are common in many vehicles such as automobiles, boats, and airplanes. One example is the dashboard of an automobile, which typically resembles a series of hills and valleys formed by interconnected gently and steeply curving surfaces. Another example is the usually humped console between the bucket seats of an automobile. Often, the driver and passengers desire to place small articles such as coffee cups, cellular phone stands, and map holders on the vehicle dashboard or console. Unfortunately, the curving, non-planar nature of these and other surfaces is ill suited to the usually regular mounting surface common to most articles and to the stands and holders provided to support the less regular items.
Various clamps and brackets are known that are intended to be affixed to a surface of the vehicle using screws, adhesives, or suction cups. However, the first two lack portability, while the latter will not adhere to rough, cushioned, or fabric surfaces common in many automobiles. One solution is the “bean bag” base, an example of which is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,600 entitled INSULATED CUP HOLDER WITH FLEXIBLE BASE MEMBER. This solution generally involves a flexible fabric pillow-shaped bag filled with a heavy granular material such as sand, gravel or lead shot. The stand, holder, coffee cup or other article is permanently attached to the bag so that the granular material surrounds it. The granular material generally conforms itself and the fabric bag to most non-planar surfaces, and its weight both holds the article upright and keeps it from sliding when the vehicle accelerates, brakes and turns. While not described here, many other examples of this very common technology are also known. Unfortunately, this bean bag technology generally requires the assembly of many pieces in multiple assembly steps.
Another solution is a monolithic weighted mounting platform formed of a heavy and malleable material such as a metallic material, for example, lead such as disclosed by the inventor of the present invention in U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,487 entitled WEIGHTED MOUNTING PLATFORM, which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference. This solution provides a plurality of flexible legs extending radially from a common central hub, the legs and common central hub being integrally formed and having a lump of the heavy material each leg at ends thereof distal from the common central hub. A coating of elastomeric material is formed over substantially the entire surface of the flexible legs, the common central hub and the integrally formed masses. An attaching means is positioned at the common central hub for attaching a mounting device.
However, although less expensive to produce and more effective in operation than bean bag-type bases, even the monolithic weighted base is limited in its ability to provide the above function in an economically efficient manner.